Is the 13-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine Cost-Effective in High-Risk Groups?

Pneumococcal pneumonia and invasive pneumococcal disease remain common in adults, especially those with high-risk conditions. A 23-valent polysaccharide vaccine has been used extensively in this population with some success, and a 7-valent conjugate preparation has shown good effect in children. Now, the latter vaccine has been replaced in infant vaccination programs by a 13-valent conjugate one; herd effects should develop for the additional six serotypes over time, as they did for the initial seven serotypes.

Analyzing hospital records for 22,298 patients in the U.K., researchers investigated the cost-effectiveness of using the 13-valent conjugate vaccine — in addition to the 23-valent polysaccharide preparation used in the existing progra…